Pelli Choopulu

I watched Pellichoopulu without much hope of being impressed or even of being entertained. Recent Telugu movies have been passable, but nothing that really got my attention. Pellichoopulu totally blew these thoughts out of my head!

The first half of PC was riotously funny, as the gang led by Prashant (Vijay Devarakonda) are goons who engage in the same dumb things college guys do around the world. Koushik (Priyadarshi) was unbelievably funny--the last time I remember laughing that much at a comedian's antics was maybe the Sunil of old (movies like Dhee, Ready, etc.). Ritu Verma as Chitra was awesome--I distinctly remember being amazed that there was finally a true-to-life strong female character in a Telugu movie. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the first half was that it was so current and relevant. Every teenager sees aspects of their group of friends in Prashant's gang, and the insertion of jokes about social media was timely and hilarious. Chitra's determination and modern character makeup was far more reminiscent of today's Indian women than the made-up doll roles that Tammannah, Samantha, and even Kajal frequently find themselves in.

The second half slowed down considerably, as the focus shifted to the emerging love story between Prashant and Chitra. I was a little less enthused about this half, but I believe it to have been very well done in its own way. The tension between the two kept me engaged, and the non-obvious way in which it resolved itself left me more satisfied than the usual fight scenes that Telugu movies use as a way of having a hero save the heroine.

Overall, Pelli Choopulu is a must-watch with great writing, direction, and action. I know I will be watching it again for many years.

After the very well deserved failures of Brahmotsavam, Sardar Gabbar Singh and Aagdu, the Telugu audience had shown maturity in rejecting formulaic horrible movies with larger than life hero worship. Pellichupulu, the little movie, comes as a breath of fresh air. The USP of the movie is a simple story that connects. For a change, no one in the movie is running around screaming as if their life is at stake. I do not want to write about the various aspects of the movie as the other reviewers have already said it better. The movie is based on real life incidents which are extremely believable. The lead pair has a fabulous chemistry and the comic situations are extremely funny. The future of Telugu film industry is glorious if such movies keep getting attention and success. Go watch it, this one is a gem.

Tharun Bhascker Daassyam, almost a year and half ago, this name was trending in the film fraternity, especially in TFI and do you know why? That's because, one of the most acclaimed short films of recent times 'Sainma' debuted online at that time and later got released on YouTube after making enough fortune. And that film is this man Bhascker's brain child. Well, you might wonder why I'm stressing so much on his short 'Sainma' rather than talking about 'Pellichupulu', that's because the 20 odd minutes you spend watching 'Sainma' speaks volumes about this mans talent and believe me, you will never regret watching it. Coming to the current topic, the flick's based or precisely developed from Bhascker's previously directed, another well acclaimed short 'Anukokunda'. The film is a coming of age comedy-drama and the story is about Chitra and Prashanth who meet for the first time in a pellichupulu and eventually how they travel along with each other is what that follows. That's it, simple right? No, hold on. There are a lot of twists and turns in this simple story line, thanks to the well written screenplay. The way in which the first half runs is too damn good. It just flows and you won't even realise its almost time for a break. Though the story gets a lil predictable in the second half, it still manages to keep audience intact with the flow. The characters and the characterizations in the film are so near to reality that one can easily relate to them. And the dialogues are one of the biggest assets to the film, simple and real. The actors Vijay Devarakonda and Ritu Varma were competent to show there skills and make their presence felt. They did a 100% justice to their characters, commendable performances. And there is this character named 'Kaushik' played by Priyadarshi, man o man, what a gem of dialogue delivery he has! Made the whole theatre erupt in laughter for more than 10 times I guess, brilliant acting. Rest of the cast did their part well. Coming to the technical side, editing was neat. Cinematography was good. Music, scored by Vivek Sagar was too good and apt at many situations. Very hardly does one see The Hindu review a movie and call it 'A Gem'. What more do you want? Just go and grab a ticket, this one's a sure shot hit.

"One of the best Telugu movie of 2016. Its a gem to the industry and its a movie not to be missed" My rating- 4.5/5 (Movie with every ingredients mixed)

Positives- 1.) Direction,script and story- Direction was amazing and cant believe that Telugu industry has creative directors. Each and every scene was fabulous and entertaining. Script was masterpiece and it made a simple story excellent with powerful script.

2.)All actors- Everyone did their parts well. All were realistic and special mention to Vijay and ritu who acted out their parts very well and those two friends of vijay were hilarious specially priyadarshi whose humors went with the flow.

3.)Comedy- All the comedy were realistic and its something which we also see in day to day life and its presented out well on screen by actors. Director needs to be appreciated for portraying youth's stupidity with realism and i am sure all youth's could relate to it.

4.)Emotions and message mixed very well in the story and audience could get the feel.

5.) songs and bg score Negatives- (Nothing) Is it a must watch? Yes, and its a movie not to be missed. I hope this movie gets remaked so that non-Telugu audience can also see it.

Overall- Its very rare to see this type of movie and its one of the all time best Telugu movie and also it comes under my top 20 favorite movie list.

My rating- 4.5/5 (Movie with every ingredients mixed)

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I typically don't like romcoms as I think it is too easy for them to fall under the trap of the omnipresent, banal, and repetitious themes and character personalities that plague 95% of the the romantic movies that exist. But this is a great movie with a lot of heart that escapes most of the aforementioned pitfalls, and provides a fresh story with new ideas and characters. Movies like this are essential to keep the genre alive.

The director worked brilliantly with this script, and has created an entertaining spectacle that has enough substance to easily carry the movie past the predictable themes that it does contain. All the characters here are in some way flawed but also likable, which gives way to some lighthearted moments where you couldn't help but smile. Everyone also always stays in character, which I feel is vital for any film. There are many instances in this movie that will surprise you, and for a comedy all of it surprisingly holds well together. You know a movie is good when some scenes stay with you after it is over. Indeed, some of the scenes here are so clever and funny that you couldn't help but appreciate the ingenuity of it all.

Apart from all this commendation, there is one thing which is tugging at my stomach. On one hand it is the freshest take on a romcom I've seen in recent times, on the other, I kind of hate the apparent acceptance of dowry the movie portrays. There is even a scene in which Prashant, the male lead, says directly to Chitra, the female lead that there is nothing wrong with dowry and she says nothing to counter it. I understand that this indirectly comments on the social acceptance of dowry in our nation and this is how many Indians perceive it, but Prashant does not have to fall under that category. The movie industry has a tremendous influence in shaping our culture along with the mindset of the younger audience, and it's a shame that the director chose not to stand against it. I may be coming along as too harsh, so I am just dropping that awesome 9 to a solid 8.